Ok, it's happened. Boogiepop Phantom has become my favorite modern anime series. Boogiepop Phantom (BP) continues to develop into a modern fairytale; a fable for the age of technology. Those of you familiar with fairytales know they are often bloody and are less about good winning and more about describing what is evil and bad.

The series continues to push the limits, exploring relationships, family, and philosophy in a detail that is rarely seen in visual media. Great thoughts are usually more at home in books, while movies have great power to stir the emotions. Perhaps one of the powers of animation is ability to combine the two, since animation has the ability to shape reality under the hands of the animator.

Whatever the case, BP is an exceptional series. The episodes in the third disc are even better than the last one. The first episode of this disc concerns another troubled teen that seems to have evolved special powers, a recurrent theme through BP, somehow related to a column of light that appeared a month before. Anything he finds useless, he destroys - violently. The surprise revelation at the end is fantastic, as is the comeuppance of a previously appearing character. As always, previous episodes connect to each other, and characters roam from story to story.

The second episode on the disc, "She's So Unusual," follows a reporter as he researches Nagi Kirima, a background fixture in almost every episode from the first on. Nagi seems to be the only human fighting the evil that has enveloped the city. She's fought alone from day one, armed only with her father's research that seems to be primarily philosophical in nature.

The episode begins back near the first episode of the series and shows them all from Nagi's point of view, but through the eyes of the reporter. Nagi is probably the coolest female protagonist to come along since Iria or Priss in Bubblegum Crisis (and probably tougher, since she doesn't have a hardsuit to back her up). I honestly would love to see a series just about her.

Many of the most pressing BP questions are answered in this episode, if you were paying attention through the previous seven. And, they are answered well, to my great relief (see my review of disc 2). This episode feels like the climax of the series. Indeed, the third episode seems to begin the denouement with a conclusion on the horizon. The third episode follows two more mainstay characters with powers. It deals with the loss of dreams and hopes, and where the spirits of those dreams go.

To close, this is the densest series I have ever seen. Every utterance and frame carries meaning that affects the whole of the series. I suppose it could be enjoyed on a simply visceral level, as the horror and pacing is excellent, but not considering the implications that the philosophy and issues brought up should be a crime.

If the final disc concludes the series well and continues the level of excellence, I'll have to consider BP to be an essential anime series for any fan to own. Do yourself a favor and continue the series. It only gets better.

Video Quality: A
Audio Quality: A
Presentation: B
Content: A+
Overall: A